Baby Talk | Each baby's birthday is important, not just Dec. 25
As the days grow shorter and sunlight dimmer, humans have always searched for a way to not let the darkness get them down. This week many people will be celebrating Christmas. It is the traditional celebration of the birth of a baby that brought hope, forgiveness, love and a new way of believing to the world. Did it really happen on Dec. 25? Probably not. Was he born? Definitely.
The earliest recordings of the celebration of the birth of the baby, Jesus Christ, date from around 336 A.D.
Why was that date settled upon? Probably because there were other celebrations going on during the solstice so it was easy to tag this one on to the other celebrations.
The Jewish people celebrated, Hanukkah, the festival of lights. Germans had a Yule festival. Celtic people danced around bonfires. They also celebrated the Scandinavian sun god, Balder. Balder was struck down by a mistletoe arrow, sound familiar? The Romans feasted and gave gifts to the poor during their celebration of Saturnalia. Mithraism was a very popular religion brought to Rome from Persia. The Persian god Mithra, god of light and truth, was supposedly born Dec. 25. The birthday of Mithra was celebrated as a way celebrating a rebirth or renewal of the sun.
The darkest days of the year are usually Dec. 22 and 23. The winter solstice, Dec. 25, marks the beginning of longer days of sunlight. Early Christian leaders noted that people liked to celebrate this turning point of the year. Augustine, early bishop of the Church, advised his Christian brethren not to celebrate the day because of the sun, but on account of him who made the sun. Ironically Augustine is also the patron saint of brewers. He was himself quite the party guy.
Over the centuries other traditions have been added: trees, gift exchanges, lights on houses, candles in windows, cards sent to friends, parties, caroling. All of these make this time of the year special.
In reality, every birth of every baby is special. Every baby brings a new hope to their family. I watch my coworkers and new parents greet each baby with love and tenderness. Yes, we have some challenging situations, but we always have hope that this baby will bring a special happiness to their family. Isn't this why we celebrate birthdays?
I know that I pause on Feb. 6, March 19, May 23, Sept. 21 and Nov. 19 and remember the details of the birth of that child. I remember the love we surrounded them with, the joy that we welcomed them with, the way they each changed us as a family.
Penny Simpkin wrote a paper, "Not Just Another Day in a Woman's Life." She interviewed women of all ages and asked them to recall the details of the day they gave birth.
They remembered amazing details with clarity. Every baby changed every mother and father. Some babies changed the world.
I passed a Jewish friend this week in the hallway and wished him a Happy Hanukkah, and he wished me back Merry Christmas. It was wonderful to share how we were each celebrating this time of year.
If you are celebrating Christmas, Merry Christmas. If you celebrating Hanukkah, Happy Hanukkah. If you are celebrating the winter solstice, Happy Sunny days. No matter what you are celebrating may your day be merry and bright.
Katie Powers, R.N., is a board-certified lactation consultant and perinatal educator at Manatee Memorial Hospital's Family BirthPlace. Contact her at katie.powers@mmhhs.com.
This story was originally published December 21, 2015 at 5:06 PM with the headline "Baby Talk | Each baby's birthday is important, not just Dec. 25 ."